One of the reasons for Yamit Ashkenazi’s coming to France is clearly displayed. This Israeli citizen, mother and older sister of Doron Steinbrecher detained in Gaza by Hamas, took care of her clothing style before responding to French journalists. Under his black jacket, you can’t miss a t-shirt bearing a slogan in French: Qatar must choose its side.
Under the sentence, two photos printed: that of the head of the Palestinian Islamist organization… And the photo of Kylian Mbappé wearing a PSG jersey. Explanations from the main interested party. “We know that Qatar finances Hamas and welcomes one of their leaders. On the other hand, he finances a team like PSG and wants to be part of European society, but you cannot be part of it and also finance a terrorist organization like Hamas, it’s contradictory. »
“We think we can have more impact here than in Israel”
The argument can be debated, but the presence of this Israeli delegation of hostage families in Paris is mainly motivated by the link between this Gulf country, mediator in the current conflict, and the Elysée. “Israel has no relations with Qatar, which is of capital importance in the conflict,” explains Liran Berman, who is fighting for the release of his twin brothers Gali and Ziv. We come to France because we know that the country has a lot of power to negotiate with Qatar and the Red Cross. »
To hammer home this message, the delegation went to the National Assembly on Friday afternoon to meet deputies. Last month, these hostage families were also able to present their point of view to the US Senate, with the United States also playing the role of mediator in the conflict.
“We think we can have more impact here than in Israel,” adds Ido Shamriz, who hopes for the return of his brother Alon after more than sixty days of captivity. A few thousand kilometers away, in Israel, relatives of hostages are increasing the pressure on those in power. According to AFP, families were able to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the Israeli government, 138 hostages among the approximately 240 people kidnapped in Israel during the massacres perpetrated on October 7 by Hamas which killed 1,200 Israelis, are still being held in Gaza.